Salman Rushdie awarded the prestigious 2023 German peace prize

Noted author Salman Rushdie has been awarded the prestigious Peace Prize of the German Book Trade for 2023 for his contribution to the literary world. The author has also been honoured for his resolve in the face of "constant threat to his life." He will receive the award in Frankfurt on October 22. The announcement was made on Rushdie's 76th birthday.

In a statement shared with the media, the prize board said, "From the moment his masterpiece 'Midnight's Children' was published in 1981, Salman Rushdie has awed us with his interpretations of migration and global politics. In his novels and nonfiction, he melds narrative foresight with unfailing literary innovation, humour and wisdom. His work chronicles the force used by oppressive regimes to destroy entire societies while also celebrating the indestructible spirit of resistance displayed by individual human beings."

The Board of Trustees described Rushdie as a "passionate defender of freedom of thought and expression - just as equally for himself as for those whose views he does not share."

He was awarded for "his indomitable spirit, for his affirmation of life, and for enriching our world with his love of storytelling."

In August 2022, at an event in New York, Rushdie was stabbed by a man while he was seated on stage. He suffered injuries in the abdomen and the neck and lost sight in one eye and the use of one of his hands.

Reacting to the award, Rushdie said in a statement, "I am deeply honoured by, and grateful for this very important award. I can only thank the Jury for its generosity."

A few weeks ago, Rushdie revealed that he was writing his next book. In a pre-recorded Zoom appearance at the Hay Literary Festival, he said, "I'm trying to write a book about the attack on me - what happened and what it means, not just about the attack, but around it."

The award-winning author added, "It will be a relatively short book, a couple of hundred pages. It's not the easiest book in the world to write but it's something I need to get past in order to do anything else. I can't really start writing a novel that's got nothing to do with this ... So I just have to deal with it."

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